SeaFest | Ireland's National Maritime Festival
| Welcome to SeaFest Cork 2019 |
Maritime festival SeaFest will take place in Cork for the next three years, from 2019 – 2021, running from 7th - 9th June 2019.
The festival, which had taken place in Galway for the past three years, has been increasingly drawing public with 100,000 visitors in 2017 and 2018.
SeaFest is Ireland’s national maritime festival. Come along and discover all about our ocean – from how we explore, to shipwrecks and creatures of the deep.
SeaFest is a fun, free summer festival for all ages and the programme of events includes a seafood fair, seafood cookery demonstrations with celebrity chefs and seafaring family fun. There will be tours of ocean going vessels, leisure craft and boats, exhibits on marine life and lots more fun and educational activities.
SeaFest is a key part of Harnessing our Ocean Wealth: An Integrated Marine plan for Ireland (HOOW) and its goal of increasing participation and engagement with the sea. SeaFest also hosts the annual Our Ocean Wealth Summit and other business and research events.
| What's On |
| Kids Zone |
Little hands will be kept busy with a host of fun and educational marine-themed activities in the Kids Zone. All activities are free and there’s no need to book, just come along on the day.
| Education |
Presented by the Marine Institute, visit the “What Lies Beneath” expo and learn about how the tides operate, multi-beam mapping, deep sea exploration and hear about marine life!
For the first time, BIM’s Aquaculture Remote Classroom (ARC) will be at Seafest! Using VR technology, visitors can see how mussel beds and oyster farms are like close up, while also educating the public on how to sustainably source seafood.
Evelyn Cusack Head of Forecasting at Met Éireann who will give two fascinating talks on Saturday where you can learn what the Yellow, Orange and Red Warnings mean, where the storm names come from and find out the answer to the common question, “Is our weather changing?"
| Displays |
The Defence Forces will provide a current equipment and capabilities display.
Hear first-hand the experiences of the volunteer lifeboat service saving lives at sea around Ireland with water safety advice from RNLI.
| Performances |
There will be a number of performances entertaining the crowds all weekend including Music Generation Cork City, Shanty Flash Mob and The Defence Forces Band 1 Brigade .
| Bord Bia Seafood Sessions |
The BIM and Bord Bia Seafood Experience includes a packed schedule of well known chefs and fishmongers, including Neven Maguire, Pat O’Connell, Rory O’Connell, Hal Dawson and Martin Shanahan, who will demonstrate how to prepare and cook sustainably sourced Irish seafood.
| Have A Go |
Get out on the water and try different water activities over the weekend including Sailing, Kayaking, Currach & Dragon Boat Trips
| Vessel Tours |
Take a guided tour of the Commissioner of Irish Lights vessel the ILV Granuaile or the RV Celtic Explorer.
| Getting There |
By Car
Cork is easily accessible by car from locations around the country.
From Dublin, you take the M8 and follow signs for Cork city.
From Galway, take the M18 and from Waterford, take the N25, and from Sligo/Donegal, take the N17.
From Limerick, travel via R513 and M8 and from Kerry, take the N22.
By Rail or Bus
Iarnród Eireann provide a number of direct and non-direct trains to Cork.
If you are travelling by bus, there are a number of bus services available from Bus Éireannand Aircoach.
By Air
If you are flying from overseas, Cork Airport is the most direct airport to land in. Alternative options include Shannon Airport and Dublin Airport.
